Walgreens Launches 'Happy And Healthy'

Magazine latest salvo in quest to become consumer lifestyle destination

DEERFIELD, Ill. -- The Walgreen Co. is launching Happy and Healthy, a biannual magazine that carries the tagline "Your Guide to Living Well With Walgreens." The premiere edition is holiday-themed and includes entertaining and gift ideas, with Taylor Swift on the cover. The high-quality, glossy, 28-page magazine will be available in English and Spanish, and there is a similar version for Duane Reade customers.

The magazine "is the latest example of how the nation's largest drugstore chain is seeking to transform itself over the next several years into something much more than a place where people can purchase a tube of toothpaste or pick up a doctor's prescription," reported The Chicago Business Journal.

The magazine features content such as healthy living tips, relevant offers and Balance Rewards loyalty program promotions. It also provides a way to highlight Walgreens' private brands. Each issue is divided into three sections: Health & Wellness, Food & Beverage and Beauty.

"We are thrilled to bring Happy and Healthy magazine to our customers, and we look forward to providing them with relevant information and articles to help them get, stay and live well," said Joe Magnacca, president of daily living products and solutions for Walgreens. "Walgreens is constantly innovating, and Happy & Healthy is a great way to keep our customers informed of our latest private brand offerings."

Some highlights from the Fall/Winter edition include:

Dr. Oz healthy holiday travel tips.

Ask Your Pharmacist--Answers for cough/cold/flu season.

Diabetes Management Including Paula Deen's Cooking Tips.

Introducing Ology.

Taylor Swift's perfect Christmas.

Stocking stuffers, holiday gifts and entertaining essentials.

Beauty advice including an interview with Halle Berry.

The retailer will insert Happy and Healthy into millions of Sunday newspapers and make it available in store. Consumers can view an electronic version online at Walgreens.com. IT expects total circulation to be approximately 65 million.
Taking a cue from European drug store chains such as Alliance Boots, a fixture in England, Walgreens is looking to become a major lifestyle store where customers can come to get their lunch or shop for all manner of products, said the Business Journal. Walgreen is in a joint venture with Alliance Boots.

Walgreens is building superstores in the Chicago market that will fully reflect this new strategy of giving customers more and more reasons to come into Walgreens, the report added. These superstores carry everything from freshly made sushi to soft-serve yogurt and sandwiches that customers can grab and take with them back to the office or wherever they want to sit down and eat.

The plan is to make the new stores much more open, airy and inviting than many of the current Walgreens outlets, with their cramped aisles and shelves stacked nearly to the ceiling with merchandise.

The new magazine is yet another way Walgreens is looking to bond with its customer base and give the formerly rather dowdy drug chain a fresher public face, the Business Journal said.

As the nation's largest drugstore chain with fiscal 2012 sales of $72 billion, Walgreens vision is to become America's first choice for health and daily living, it said. The company operates 7,944 drugstores in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.